Our Common Purpose | May 2025 Newsletter
By Zachey Kliger | zachey.kliger@gmail.com | June 1, 2025
In May, cities, states, colleges and universities, and nonprofit leaders advanced new efforts and new ideas to strengthen democracy. Utah passed a law to empower individuals to own their digital identities, while Boston took an important step toward adopting ranked choice voting. A coalition of college and university presidents announced a campaign to champion civil discourse and democratic engagement in this year’s commencement season. Pearce Godwin wrote in The Chronicle of Philanthropy that nonprofit leaders need to broaden their appeal with conservatives. And More in Common released a compelling report that examines Gen Z’s attitudes toward democracy. Read on for more new reports, resources, and upcoming events.
What Can Be Learned from International Perspectives on Autocracy and Democracy?
On May 21, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences hosted a virtual program: What Can Be Learned from International Perspectives on Autocracy and Democracy? The discussion featured distinguished panelists Kim Lane Scheppele (Princeton University), Timothy Snyder (University of Toronto), Miguel Angel Lara Otaola (Electoral Integrity Project) and moderator Stephen B. Heintz (Rockefeller Brothers Fund), who shared their perspectives on democracies around the globe and the role each of us play in ensuring a strong American democracy.
In The News
Pearce Godwin: You Need Conservatives. Here's How to Engage Them in Your Mission.
Writing in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Pearce Godwin, Founder of Listen First Project and Senior Director of Urban Rural Action, outlines how nonprofit leaders can improve engagement with conservatives.
Daniel Ziblatt: How Will We Know When We have Lost Democracy?
In a New York Times essay, Academy member Daniel Ziblatt and political scientists Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way urge American civil society to act collectively to resist authoritarianism.
NYT: Monticello Exhibit Invites Visitors to Reflect on Past Eras of American Polarization.
“Founding Friends, Founding Foes,” a new tour at Monticello, explores the vicious partisan politics of the 1790s and invites guests to reflect on parallels with today’s toxic partisanship. Ahead of the tour’s launch, leaders from OCP Champions BridgeUSA and Living Room Conversations trained Monticello tour guides on strategies to foster civic connection.
Seattle Times Opinion: Everyone Wants Colleges to Produce Good Citizens. No One Knows How.
In an opinion piece for The Seattle Times, Andrew J. Perrin and Christian Lundberg explain that teaching students to listen, argue productively, evaluate evidence and work together even when they disagree should be the core of a revitalized university civic education.
Stories from the Field
College Presidents Announce New Campaign to Champion Civil Discourse and Democratic Engagement.
A coalition of college and university presidents from across the country announced From Campus to Community, a new national campaign to champion civil discourse and democratic engagement in this year’s commencement season.
More in Common Report: Is Gen Z Giving Up on Democracy?
A new report from More in Common analyzes Gen Z’s attitudes toward democracy and finds that young Americans, while largely not inclined toward authoritarianism, are underwhelmed with the country’s current version of democracy.
CivXNow Announces Plan to Strengthen K-12 Civics Education.
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week (May 5-9), CivxNow shared a five-point plan to strengthen K-12 civics education at the local, state, and national levels.
Business for America Launches Initiative to Rebuild Trust Across the Aisle.
Business for America hosted an exclusive Capitol Hill event featuring U.S. Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) to kick off a new initiative that will bring together members of Congress and business leaders to combat hyperpartisanship.
Legislative Updates
Utah Passes Law on Social Media Data Portability and Interoperability.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R-UT) signed the Digital Choice Act, a law that will require every social media platform operating in the state to make personal data portable and will give Utah residents the right to move their content and relationships across social media platforms. In a statement, Governor Cox noted that this new law will empower individuals to own their digital identities, while fostering competition and creating a safer online environment. Our Common Purpose recommends similar legislation at the federal level. OCP Champion Project Liberty hosted a conversation with Representative Doug Fiefia (R-UT), the bill’s sponsor, on how laws like this can help rebalance power online.
Federal and State Legislative Update: Ranked Choice Voting.
Our Common Purpose recommends that states enact ranked-choice voting (RCV) for presidential, congressional, and state elections. Nine states (Maine, Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Hawaii) currently use RCV for at least some parts of their elections. Seventeen states are considering legislation in 2025 to adopt RCV, while thirteen states currently prohibit RCV for their elections.
RCV remains popular at the municipal level. For example, Boston’s City Council recently voted to adopt RCV for municipal elections. The proposal now requires the Mayor’s signature, the State Legislature’s approval, and approval from voters via a ballot measure. New York City has used RCV since 2021 and will use it again in its upcoming mayoral primary. In 2024, District of Columbia voters passed Initiative 83, which establishes RCV in local elections and opens primaries to independent voters. However, RCV opponents in Congress have tried to ban its use in D.C. by introducing the American Confidence in Elections Act (H.R. 4563).
Other federal efforts to limit the use of RCV include the One Vote One Choice Act (H.R. 3704) and Preventing Ranked Choice Corruption Act (H.R.3040). Meanwhile, Pro-RCV advocates are working to re-introduce the Fair Representation Act and the Ranked Choice Voting Act to establish RCV for congressional elections.
Learn more about the status of all these efforts here.
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